Mutilated greyhound found in Foyle River

A mutilated greyhound has been found in the River Foyle in Derry.

The dog was a found by a man walking in the area, who went in to the water and lifted the animal on to the shore.

It was then that he discovered that someone had cut off the dog's ears.

Greyhounds are regularly tattooed on their ears in order to identify them with their owners.

The owner of the greyhound may have removed its ears so they couldn't be traced, most likely with a sharp carpet knife, before dumping the body.

A spokesperson from an animal rights organisation in Derry, Pet FBI, said the discovery of the dog is "sickening".

Helena Bryson said: "Every greyhound has a number tattooed on both ears which will identify who owns the dog, so it is obviously whoever did this to this poor dog did not want identified.

"We think that this particular dog had come to the end of its racing life and the owner just couldn't be bothered with it any more, but this has to be such a cruel, painful way to end the dog's life.

"We see acts of animal cruelty all the time but you never get used to it, and the thought of the pain this poor dog endured and the fear it would have felt just sickened me.

"There needs to be tougher penalties for anyone guilty of animal cruelty, and while I don't think whoever did this will be found, unfortunately, perhaps DNA testing could track him or her down and they face prosecution for what they have done."